


A Dance for Two

by qikiqtarjuaq



Category: I Ship My Adversary x Me
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-24 11:31:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18570583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qikiqtarjuaq/pseuds/qikiqtarjuaq
Summary: Wei Yanzi finally lands a leading role in a new production, where he's surprised to run into Gu Yiliang - his imaginary adversary and his imaginary soulmate.Canon Divergence AU where Wei Yanzi and Gu Yiliang are cast in a BL drama instead.





	A Dance for Two

**Author's Note:**

> The English translation for the Chinese novel, I Ship My Adversary x Me can be found [here](https://blackbox-tl.com/novels/ismm/ismm-chapter-1/)! This fic diverges early from canon, and does not contain spoilers for events in the untranslated chapters.

Wei Yanzi threw his phone down on the table with a loud clatter, his earlier good mood from winning a leading role completely obliterated. With three years of experience in the entertainment industry, he wasn’t so thin-skinned as to be unable to take any criticism. In fact, he was usually the first person to crack a joke at his own expense. But the sheer volume of the insults this time was astounding. It was the difference between getting wet in the rain and being washed away by a tsunami!

Next to him, his assistant Xiao Chen patted his shoulder. “Don’t be glum, Yanyan. Attracting so much attention means this is a much higher profile project than anything else you’ve been in before! Look, their insults have much more variety now!”

“Do you have any idea how to properly comfort someone?!” Against his will, Wei Yanzi looked down at the phone Xiao Chen shoved in front of his face.

> **green tea** : It’s too bad this is no longer the silent era. Wei Yanzi’s voice should be muted to protect our poor tortured ears!

Wei Yanzi felt helpless. “How is this my fault? Someone else has dubbed my lines in every role I’ve had so far!”

Xiao Chen coughed. “Isn’t that because the directors hate your line delivery?”

“Hey, whose side are you on anyway?” 

“Okay okay, I’m sorry! Usually you find these things funny.” Xiao Chen held up a hand in a placating gesture. “Here, let me try to find a post insulting your co-star too. You’ll see that it’s nothing personal, and they’re being vicious to everyone!”

“Oh, they’ve cast the other lead already?”

“I just got a bunch of notifications about it! Checking them out now,” replied Xiao Chen, his eyes glued to his phone as he scrolled through all the latest posts in the hashtag. 

Wei Yanzi wasn’t a saint. There was some comfort in knowing someone else was suffering with you. He leaned in with some eagerness to look over Xiao Chen’s shoulder. “What’s taking you so long? Did you get distracted by cat pictures again?” 

“Ahhh!” In Xiao Chen’s haste to get away, he dropped his phone. He quickly picked it up and headed for the door. “Actually, forget it! All this negativity is bad for you. Just drink some honey tea and take a nap! Maybe take a break from the Internet altogether.”

Would he be setting the bar too low if he consoled himself with the fact that he at least was better at acting than Xiao Chen was at lying? With a resigned sigh, Wei Yanzi took out his own phone and looked up the hashtag.

> **MoShu forever** : Our show is saved! Not even Wei Yanzi can drag down Gu Yiliang’s acting!
> 
> **bloody mary:** We’re saved! Since they’re adversaries in real life, Wei Yanzi can just play himself!

Gu Yiliang.

Wei Yanzi’s heart skipped a beat. To outsiders, Gu Yiliang was his number one adversary. Ever since their debuts three years ago under the same company, they’ve been inexplicably linked by their fans as adversaries. Wei Yanzi’s fans accused Gu Yiliang of hogging all the company’s resources. Gu Yiliang’s fans accused Wei Yanzi of sabotaging Gu Yiliang out of jealousy. He considered those groups ‘Adversary Fans.’

But there was a third group: the Niangzi Army. Wei Yanzi discovered them one day while trying to escape the endless fighting in his main hashtag. Unlike the Adversary Fans, the Niangzi Army supported both actors and wanted nothing more than to imagine them being in love with each other. Instead of slinging abuse, they wrote fanfic. Instead of posting unflattering pictures, they posted photoshops with soft, flattering filters. Entering this world was like walking into a fairy tale land full of fluff and the sweetest candy.

This was exactly what Wei Yanzi needed in this difficult time. Switching to his anonymous fan account, he entered the _Gazillion Niangzi Forces Harvesting Fluff_ group chat.

> **Yantastic:** Did you all hear the casting news for _Written in Blood_?!

Hundreds of lines of incoherent screaming punctuated with exclamation marks scrolled past his screen. He had no hopes of following any of the replies. Then, he received a private message from a big-name fan he recently befriended. (There were advantages to being one half of the couple that the shippers were crazy about. And that apparently included being able to bribe his favorite author with an autograph to write the fanfics he wanted to read.)

> **WilLiam:** I think I’m going to die! My brain has shut down.
> 
> **Yantastic:** Hahaha. I can’t wait to see what fanfics this inspires!
> 
> **WilLiam** : Fanfic?! You can still think of writing at a time like this?
> 
> **Yantastic:**  ????
> 
> **WilLiam** : THEY’RE GOING TO KISS. AND GET MARRIED. WE’RE GOING TO SEE WEDDING PICTURES AND KISSING.

Wei Yanzi almost fell off the couch. Wasn’t he playing a mob boss? Wasn’t Gu Yiliang playing an undercover cop who lost his memories? Wasn’t this a gritty crime drama about lies and betrayal? Why would those two kiss and get married?

> **Yantastic:** I’m going to be honest, I haven’t gotten past the first chapter of the book. Aren’t those two supposed to be enemies?
> 
> **WilLiam** : OMG! Skip to Chapter 97! It’s their first kiss and first night together. So sweet. So romantic.
> 
> **Yantastic** : Ah. I’ll be off reading the book then…

*

How should one act upon meeting one’s adversary? A look of cool disdain proclaiming his loftiness above the other? A smirk and a veiled provocation? Or perhaps a cunning smile hiding a knife?

Except Gu Yiliang was only his adversary in the minds of their fans.

How should one act upon meeting one’s secret lover? A handshake that lasts just a few seconds too long to be casual, their fingers brushing together as their hands pull apart? A meaningful gaze that promised more, later? Or perhaps a grin brimming with joy, hiding nothing?

Except Gu Yiliang was only his secret lover in the minds of the Niangzi Army.

How should one act upon meeting one‘s co-star?

“Wei Yanzi? I’m very happy to be working with you on this project.” Gu Yiliang interrupted his thoughts with a genuine smile and a polite greeting.

Wei Yanzi mentally smacked himself in the head. He wasn’t a rookie anymore! How complicated was it to introduce himself to a new co-star? He returned Gu Yiliang’s smile - it was so simple and earnest, how could anyone have the heart to do anything else? “Gu Yiliang! I look forward to learning from you.”

They shook hands. Wei Yanzi looked into Gu Yiliang’s eyes. Romantic music swelled in the background. Time slowed down. Wei Yanzi felt like a helpless deer rooted in place by the intensity of Gu Yiliang’s gaze. A soft halo of light surrounded Gu Yiliang. He wasn’t dreaming, right? Was this a sign from the heavens that their ship was meant to be? He stepped forward and brushed a stray hair from Gu Yiliang’s face.

“Sorry, sorry!” One of the crew members fumbled a few times with her phone before answering it, abruptly ending the music. The lighting technician fixed the positioning of his lamp, scattering the halo effect. 

Wei Yanzi shook off his daze and allowed himself to be ushered into make-up in preparation for the day’s filming.

*

The first scene they filmed was also the dramatic opening scene of the novel. Gu Yiliang’s character Jin Shu had collapsed against a wall, his hair tousled and sweaty, his shirt torn in strategic places, with blood running down his face. By all accounts, he should have looked frail and hurt, ready for rescue from Wei Yanzi’s character Ying Mo. 

However, the moment the camera started rolling, Gu Yiliang clenched his fists and bit his lips. At the same time, his eyes shone with steely resolve. With only these small changes in body language and facial expressions, Gu Yiliang transformed from a damsel in distress to a stoic hero unafraid of death.

Wei Yanzi did not have time to admire Gu Yiliang’s acting, nor could he afford to be distracted by how alluring that bloody lip bite looked. Wait. Alluring?! Should he be thinking these thoughts? Niangzi is only fiction! He drew himself up to his full height and tried to stay in character by glaring at Gu Yiliang. Instead, his uncooperative face grimaced, which he tried to rescue by smirking. In the end, he could only stare at Gu Yiliang with a complicated expression.

Gu Yiliang laughed coldly, before doubling over, coughing up blood. He wiped the blood off his mouth, never breaking eye contact. “Go ahead. Kill me! It’s what you’ve been waiting for, isn’t it?”

Wei Yanzi’s mind was in turmoil. How was it possible for someone to look so attractive while all bloodied up? If he enjoyed seeing Gu Yiliang looking hurt, wouldn’t he be stepping into the role of an adversary? No! He was a shipper who loved fluff!

“Still not done gloating? Just end it! Let’s see what killing a police officer gets you!” This line was completely improvised, and the force of anger behind it brought Wei Yanzi back to the present. Right! The next line was his!

“What can I say, Jin Shu? Now that I hold your life in my hands, it seems a pity to snuff it out so quickly.” Wei Yanzi tried to go for cold nonchalance to contrast against Gu Yiliang’s heated fury, but only managed a wooden and unemotional line delivery instead. Alas, it looked like he was going to be dubbed for this drama as well!

Gu Yiliang spat at him. “You won’t get anything out of me with torture.”

“Then it’s a good thing I wasn’t planning on that.” Wei Yanzi smiled widely. That was the cue for the two actors playing his henchmen to step forward and stab a syringe into Gu Yiliang’s arm.

Gu Yiliang’s eyes dimmed, and his face went slack. Slowly, his body slid to the ground. 

“Hide yourselves!” commanded Wei Yanzi as he knelt down next to Gu Yiliang. If he didn’t know this was fake, his heart would be aching right now. There was nothing glamorous about this drugged-out stupor Gu Yiliang was acting out, yet it stirred up an undeniable urge to hold and comfort him. Wei Yanzi was supposed to slap Gu Yiliang’s character awake next, but how could he bear to harm that beautiful face? He gently cradled Gu Yiliang’s head. 

“Wake up,” he whispered.

Gu Yiliang opened his eyes and blinked, a pained look of confusion on his face. He tightly grasped Wei Yanzi’s hand. “What? I don’t—”

“Shhh, it’s all right. The police tried to ambush us, but we’re safe now.” 

“I— Who are you?” Gu Yiliang frowned. “… Who am I?”

“CUT!” The director clapped his hands. “Fantastic job, guys! This is going straight in our first promotional video.”

Caught up in the delight of finishing a scene in a single take and the director’s compliments, Wei Yanzi held onto Gu Yiliang’s hand and directly pulled him into a hug. 

Wait. Wasn’t this too forward of him? 

They both paused awkwardly in a half-hug. Then Gu Yiliang patted him on the back and beamed at him. “Hey, you were great. I really liked your decision to deliver that last line with no emotion. Gives off the feeling that Ying Mo is a sociopath who has no idea how to act like a proper human being!”

Wei Yanzi’s smile froze on his face. He wasn’t the one who was bloodied, but he ended up the one coughing up blood in his heart. 

*

Whoever was in charge of publicity for _Written in Blood_ was decisive and bold. Fearlessly, they marched into the war-zone the Adversary Fans laid down, and released a video of Wei Yanzi and Gu Yiliang’s first official meeting, mixed with artful shots of their first scene together. Wei Yanzi had to give them props for their courage and editing skills. So this is what a professional shipper’s work looked like! But three years of grudges between two clashing camps of fans wasn’t something a single video could dispel, even if it was edited to perfection. This PR team entered a war without having the full picture!

Attacks and accusations cluttered the comments section the moment the post went live. Wei Yanzi didn’t give these comments more than a cursory glance. He reblogged the video onto his own Weibo, added a string of heart emojis, and rubbed his hands together. The best part of joining a shipping army for yourself was definitely being able to provide your own shipping material! He almost closed out of the post when an unusual comment got upvoted to the top.

> **Magical MoShu** : What’s this?! We’re getting a real person ship on top of our MoShu ship??? Someone tell me more about these two actors!

And with that, the Niangzi Army entered the fray. Their opening gambit? A link to their stunning 139-page shipping primer! Wei Yanzi applauded them. What a power move! Quickly, the negative comments got buried under the combined might of the MoShu shippers and the Niangzi Army. He now knew that he was the one who didn’t fully grasp the war’s landscape. These MoShu shippers’ numbers vastly outnumbered both his and Gu Yiliang’s followers put together!

But the most shocking turn of events had to be the compliments he was receiving for his acting. Never mind that most of them complimented him on how well his unnatural stiffness and sociopathic dead eyes suited the character of Ying Mo. So what if that wasn’t intentional? He’ll just consider it a blind cat stumbling onto a dead mouse!

He was just collecting fluffy plotbunnies from the comments section when his phone vibrated with multiple notifications. Once he saw the name attached to the notifications, he sighed. What was Xiao Chen all worked up about now?

> **OrangeWarmSun** : Yanyan, your adversary is asking me for your WeChat information!  
>  **OrangeWarmSun** : You need to be careful! I’ll bet it’s a trap!  
>  **OrangeWarmSun** : Should I tell him you don’t have one?  
>  **OrangeWarmSun** : Or maybe you should try to turn the tables on him?

Wei Yanzi ignored the rest of Xiao Chen’s stream-of-consciousness messages and told him to share his WeChat information with Gu Yiliang. Knowing that Xiao Chen would be sending him at least ten more conspiracy theories about the perils of getting in contact with Gu Yiliang, he switched to his fan account instead.

His eyes widened at the number of members in the fangroup. It looked like they got quite a large number of new joiners today!

> **Yantastic:** Welcome to all the newbies! Hehehe, how many of you are writers? Let me know so I can follow your lofters!
> 
> **MingLiang** : More like let you know their lofters so you can bother them every day for updates! @Yantastic, are you insatiable?
> 
> **Yantastic:** Just give me all the fluff to swim in!
> 
> **WilLiam** : Oops. I just wrote angsty hurt/comfort fic.
> 
> **IronYan** : Yessss. Leave Gu Yiliang bloody and helpless!

Wei Yanzi stared at his screen. How blood-thirsty! Were these still fans?! He opened up his private messaging window with **WilLiam**.

> **Yantastic:** Why would you want to hurt Gu Yiliang? [crying_emoji]
> 
> **WilLiam:** He looks so pretty coughing up blood! Didn’t you see the video?
> 
> **Yantastic:** Of course I did! 
> 
> **WilLiam:** I’m convinced Wei Yanzi went out of character at the end there when he was cradling Gu Yiliang’s head. His heart couldn’t take Gu Yiliang looking hurt, even though he knew it was fake! 
> 
> **Yantastic:** I’m sure Wei Yanzi is more professional than that!
> 
> **WilLiam:**  …
> 
> **Yantastic:**  …
> 
> **WilLiam:** I think we can be honest when we’re in private here.
> 
> **Yantastic:** [sobbing_emoji]
> 
> **WilLiam:** Anyway, I just couldn’t resist the idea of Gu Yiliang actually getting hurt and Wei Yanzi’s reaction to that.
> 
> **Yantastic:** He would have a heart attack!!!!!!
> 
> **WilLiam:** Don’t worry, it has a happy ending. That’s the comfort part of hurt/comfort!
> 
> **Yantastic:** So this can also be counted as a type of fluff…
> 
> **WilLiam:** You really are too new to this.

*

Wei Yanzi woke up refreshed after yet another eye-opening night spent binge-reading the latest Niangzi fanfics. The fluff that came after hardship and pain was so much more satisfying! The production did not put out any more promotional videos for the past few weeks, but that certainly didn’t stop the fanfics from pouring in. If nothing else, Gu Yiliang’s hilarious daily “How many times have I coughed blood so far?” posts were more than enough to keep the frenzy going.

A Weibo notification popped up.

> **GuYiliang_Liam** : _@WeiYanzi_William_ Ready for our dance lessons? I’ll buy you dinner tonight to make up for all the times I’ll step on your toes today!

Wei Yanzi was speechless. Some people were just natural talents at providing shipper fuel! He posted a quick reply thanking Gu Yiliang, already looking forward to the rest of the day. The best kind of fluff was the kind that came with free food.

*

Wiser people than Wei Yanzi had once said: There was no such thing as a free dinner. As he clutched his feet pitifully and massaged the soreness out of his calves, he lamented his fate. The scene they were rehearsing for was the epic reveal of Jin Shu’s true past and the untangling of Ying Mo’s lies at a masquerade ball. Who could have known that Gu Yiliang wasn’t just being modest about his dancing skills?

“Did we just rehearse a dance scene or a fight scene?” asked Wei Yanzi.

“Definitely a dance scene,” answered Gu Yiliang, looking uncharacteristically deflated. “We’d both be in much better shape if it were a fight scene.”

Wei Yanzi sighed. “If anything from our rehearsals today gets out, I’ll bet our Adversary Fans will accuse us of deliberating hurting each other again. I really thought this show might get the fans to give up on the idea of us as adversaries!”

“This time it seems our Dove Fans have gotten a large boost to their numbers. Maybe it will be enough to suppress the negativity?” 

“… Dove Fans?”

“Ah, that’s just my name for them. They call themselves the Niangzi Army.”

Wei Yanzi fell off the chair, banging his knee on the floor. He looked at Gu Yiliang with wide eyes. “The Niangzi Army?”

“The name is awkward yes, but their intentions are pure.”

Wei Yanzi choked. Gu Yiliang clearly hadn’t read any of the X-rated fanfics!

“I like to think of them as a group of peaceful doves believing in our friendship. They always post nice comments on both our Weibo posts.”

“Yeah, that’s very sweet of them,” said Wei Yanzi weakly. 

*

How could either of them be in any condition to go out after their grueling rehearsals? Limping their way back to their hotel rooms, they stayed in and ordered room service instead. While they waited, Wei Yanzi decided to check and see if the rumor mill got ahold of today’s events. 

“Oh no,” Wei Yanzi couldn’t help but exclaim.

“Have we been promoted from mere adversaries to sworn enemies?” asked Gu Yiliang with a quirk of his lips.

Wei Yanzi flung himself dramatically onto the bed. “See for yourself! I can’t bear to describe this tragedy.”

With a raised eyebrow, Gu Yiliang checked his own phone. Soon, cheerful music came out of the phone’s speakers. Then Gu Yiliang’s shoulders began to shake. Finally, when the comedic sound effects got added on top of the background music, he could no longer keep his composure. “I’m sorry,” said Gu Yiliang between fits of laughter. “I’ll make this up to you.”

Wei Yanzi had been peeking through his fingers at Gu Yiliang this whole time, but once he caught Gu Yiliang looking back at him, he immediately covered up his face. He had to maintain his status as the wronged party in this ordeal, and that couldn’t happen if he fell victim to Gu Yiliang’s contagious laughter.

A click and a flash.

“Hey!” protested Wei Yanzi, sitting up. 

But it was already too late. Gu Yiliang’s fingers flew over his phone with practiced ease, and it wasn’t long before Wei Yanzi felt the telltale vibration of a new notification on his own phone.

> **GuYiliang_Liam** : Poor Yanyan, do you all really have the heart to mock him when he looks like this? _@WeiYanzi_William_ This is all my fault. Let me take responsibility.

Attached to the post was a picture of Wei Yanzi collapsed on the hotel bed covering his face with his hands, which didn’t quite succeed in hiding his giant grin. The fans’ responses were instantaneous.

> **prettiest yan:**  !!! Wei Yanzi in bed !!!
> 
> **moonlight consort** : Wait wait wait. This isn’t Wei Yanzi’s hotel room?? This is… [Picture of hotel selfie of Gu Yiliang]
> 
> **niangzi4ever** : _GuYiliang_Liam_ How did you get Wei Yanzi in your bed?! What exactly are you taking responsibility for here?!

The dancing highlights (or more accurately, low-lights) video the production team released had already started trending. Gu Yiliang’s post stoked the flames into a firestorm.

*

There was something to be said for a high-budget production. They didn’t insist on inflicting any more suffering on the two lead actors, and quickly hired stunt doubles for the dancing scenes. They were also lucky, of course. The masks worn by the two characters for this masquerade made it difficult to discern their true identity even on close-ups. 

With the dancing scenes out of the way, the only thing that remained was Gu Yiliang’s performance as the heartbroken Jin Shu when he discovered that Ying Mo had deliberately taken away his memories. It was a critical turning point in the plot, and Wei Yanzi could only breathe a sigh of relief that Gu Yiliang was the one doing most of the heavy lifting. For himself, he only had to worry about not bumping his head when Gu Yiliang ripped his mask off, and pinned him hard against the wall. 

*

Their director wasn’t an unreasonable man. Opening the production with back-to-back filming of the most intense scenes in the show was only his attempt to jump-start the chemistry between the two leads. After that, the demands on them were a lot easier, with only simple scenes of domesticity and quiet conversations to be filmed.

During this time, Wei Yanzi didn’t expect to compete with Gu Yiliang when it came to acting. But what surprised him was how good Gu Yiliang was at spreading fluff! Wei Yanzi posted a goofy selfie with the two of them making faces. Gu Yiliang replied with a picture of Wei Yanzi napping on his shoulder. Wei Yanzi complimented Gu Yiliang on his stunning good looks. Gu Yiliang told reporters that Wei Yanzi was the only person who could make him laugh and instantly forget his troubles. At the end of one of their scenes, Wei Yanzi went off-script and held Gu Yiliang’s hand. In response, Gu Yiliang pulled him in for a fierce embrace.

Wei Yanzi was defeated. Utterly defeated.

*

Time flew by, and before Wei Yanzi knew it, it was time for his wedding to Gu Yiliang. Wait. That wasn’t right. What he meant was: it was time to film the iconic wedding scene between their characters! Dressed in red costumes with gold embroidered dragons, they sat on the bed and waited for the crew to finish setting up the shot.

Wei Yanzi was vaguely aware that Gu Yiliang had said something, but his mind had already wandered too far into the Niangzi Shippers’ Land. He imagined all the new gorgeous artwork and fan videos that would come out of these scenes, constructing elaborate melodramatic plotlines that resolved beautifully with a happily-ever-after. This was enough fluff to last him a lifetime!

“Sometimes I really wish I knew what went on in your head when you get that look on your face,” said Gu Yiliang, startling Wei Yanzi.

Danger! Danger! He needed a plausible lie! Stall! Stall! Stall!

“I have a look on my face?” Wei Yanzi grinned. “You should tell that to my critics! They’re always saying how my facial expressions resemble a wooden block.”

“I’ve never seen you happier than when you’re in that little world of yours.”

Wei Yanzi blinked, caught off-guard by the wistful tone in Gu Yiliang’s voice. “That’s all it is, really. A silly world filled with unrealistic daydreams.”

Gu Yiliang looked at him with a thoughtful expression. “Unrealistic? That’s too bad. You know I’d help you if I could.”

Wei Yanzi brain short-circuited. _Excuse me?_ he wanted to ask. _I already surrendered, okay?! Did you seriously just offer to help my dreams come true? Especially when those dreams involve you? We aren’t even putting on a show for publicity here!_

But how could he say any of that out loud? These weren’t the kind of dreams that people chased after. They were simply stress relief after a long day of work. An escape from the worries in his life. As long as he avoided fanfics with the “Bad Ending” warnings, he always knew nothing could go wrong no matter what stood in his way. It was nothing compared to the pins and needles he felt when Gu Yiliang leaned in close, and he wondered if it would be worth the risk to close the distance and— 

Wait. Should he be having these thoughts about the real Gu Yiliang?

*

Wei Yanzi needed a discreet second opinion. Staring at his phone, his fingers hovered over the ‘Send’ button. Considering his own uncertainty, asking any of his friends for help was not an option. Was he really going to become one of those helpless people posting for relationship help on the Internet though? And to the Niangzi Army no less? Their answers wouldn’t be at all objective, but maybe a good dose of fantasy will remind him more clearly of what was real and what was not. 

An online notification popped up while he hesitated. Ah! It was **WilLiam**! He hadn’t seen much of this girl lately, and was even beginning to worry about her. Especially since she stopped logging in right after posting an angsty fanfic with a sad ending. Wei Yanzi closed out the chat window to the fangroup and opened up a direct chat with her instead.

> **WilLiam** : Sorry I’ve been quiet lately, I’m still here.
> 
> **Yantastic:** Is everything okay? 
> 
> **WilLiam:** Oh, don’t worry, it’s nothing serious! It’s actually… Niangzi.
> 
> **Yantastic:** Aw. You’ve lost interest?

He was relieved everything was fine with her. Losing interest in a celebrity or fandom? That was all too common. As a three-year veteran of the entertainment industry, how many fans had he seen wander off after their initial burst of enthusiasm? He started to type out a reassurance about not needing to feel guilty about moving on when her next message arrived.

> **WilLiam:** It’s not exactly that… But if I tell you, you’ll think I’m crazy.
> 
> **Yantastic:** I promise I won’t judge.
> 
> **WilLiam:** Sooo… I know we all _joke_ about Niangzi being real, but lately, I kind of get the feeling there is something actually going on behind the scenes!!!!
> 
> **WilLiam:** Except it’s real in the worst possible way! I could handle it all being fake, I could die of happiness if they were a real couple. But unrequited love… I can’t write anything anymore because it’s too tragic.

Wei Yanzi had just started typing a “Me too!” when her second message stopped him cold. Tragic? Unrequited? He stared at the words dully, a sudden pang gripping his heart. It seemed that in his rush to make sense of his jumbled feelings, he never once considered whether it even mattered what he felt for Gu Yiliang.

Of course. Who was Gu Yiliang? A critically acclaimed rising star with limitless potential. Beauties fell all over themselves to get his attention at high-profile events. And who was Wei Yanzi? A third-rate bit actor scraping by with minor roles as eye candy or cannon fodder. To have beauties chase after him at red carpet events would require him to get invited to them first! He sighed and typed a response.

> **Yantastic:** Reality is never as perfect as fantasy. [sad_emoji]
> 
> **WilLiam:** Oh no, do you see the same thing? You were supposed to talk me out of this! You’re the master of fluff!

The next two messages came in simultaneously.

> **Yantastic:** Poor Wei Yanzi. In the end, Gu Yiliang was too lofty and out of reach for him.
> 
> **WilLiam:** Poor Gu Yiliang. He can have anyone in the world except Wei Yanzi.

Did he accidentally transmigrate to a parallel universe where he was the cold, beautiful protagonist and Gu Yiliang was the hopeless second male lead pining for him?

> **Yantastic:**  ???
> 
> **WilLiam:**  ???
> 
> **Yantastic:** If Gu Yiliang wanted Wei Yanzi, he could 100% have him.
> 
> **WilLiam:** Then what’s going on in this video?! How did you even miss seeing this the first time? [Link]

It was a good question. He enjoyed reading the fanfics, but fanvids and fanart were far easier to keep up with when his schedule got busy. With a quick tap, he opened the link and sat back to watch.

Familiar music and sound effects blared out of his phone’s speakers. It was their dancing video! Though it was generous to call what Gu Yiliang was doing dancing. That explained why he skipped it. Wei Yanzi almost switched it off, thinking the wrong video was sent when everything slowed down, then froze. He checked to see if the video was lagging, but it turned out to be a stylistic editing choice. Ah, this wasn’t the official dancing video. This was a fan edit! 

Three seconds later, the video resumed with a quiet, melancholy tune as the background music. On-screen, a slow-motion video of the two of them taking a break at the end of that painful day’s dancing rehearsals played. Wei Yanzi saw himself grin and wave at the camera before resting his head on Gu Yiliang’s shoulders, pretending to take a nap. 

The video paused again, this time freezing and zooming onto Gu Yiliang, who was gazing down at the “napping” Wei Yanzi with a soft smile and eyes shining with indulgent fondness. Had Gu Yiliang always looked at him with such… tenderness?

The music rose to a crescendo before falling into silence. The video started moving again, showing the camera panning away before everything went dark. That should have been the end of the official dancing video, but the fan edit continued with a frame-by-frame re-play of the last few seconds. In it, Wei Yanzi’s grin faded into a tired frown as he pushed himself into a standing position. A flash of disappointment showed on Gu Yiliang’s face before he quickly looked away.

Wei Yanzi had no idea what to say. That was out of context! He had frowned because he was in pain! Except what could possibly explanation for Gu Yiliang’s reactions? He fired off one last message to **WilLiam** , telling her that he had to go.

*

Wei Yanzi stared at Gu Yiliang.

Gu Yiliang stared at Wei Yanzi.

Long, awkward seconds ticked by. Neither of them spoke. Wei Yanzi wished he’d brought a tunneler that let him sink into the ground and disappear forever. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go! In his mind, he had barged into Gu Yiliang’s hotel room and spun him around. Then, when their eyes met, words became unnecessary. Moving in perfect harmony, they would seal their intentions with a kiss.

Wei Yanzi cried on the inside. How did they end up having the world’s most uncomfortable staring contest instead?!

“Are you here to rehearse our lines?” Gu Yiliang was the one to speak first, smartly offering them both a way out. 

“No,” answered Wei Yanzi, stupidly ruining his chance at plausible deniability.

“Oh.”

Unable to stand the awkwardness anymore, Wei Yanzi surged forward to push Gu Yiliang onto the bed. All he needed to do then was to pin down Gu Yiliang’s wrists and kiss him senseless. But if things went smoothly for Wei Yanzi, it wouldn’t be his life, would it? 

“Watch out!” shouted Gu Yiliang.

Too late, Wei Yanzi stumbled and crashed into Gu Yiliang, the two of them landing in an undignified heap on the floor. 

“… Are we fighting?” asked Gu Yiliang, whimpering a little when he tried to move.

“Can we pretend we tried to dance again?” 

Gu Yiliang sighed and pressed a light kiss to Wei Yanzi’s forehead. “You’re too careless.”

“Okay. I’ll be careful.” Wei Yanzi darted in and landed a quick kiss on Gu Yiliang’s lips. “Is this better?”

“Oh.”

They looked into each other’s eyes again. This time, they managed to make it to the bed.


End file.
